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10 rep max calculator
Enter a recent set, the weight, the reps and how many more you could have done. The calculator estimates your 10-rep max, the heaviest weight you could lift for ten, and the weight for sets of 10 stopped 1, 2 or 3 reps short of failure.
Example result
60kg
78kg
From 60 kg × 8 with 2 in reserve, which counts as 10 reps to failure.
| Set | Load | % of 1RM |
|---|---|---|
| 10 reps to failure | 60 kg | 77% |
| 10 reps, 1 in reserve | 57.5 kg | 75% |
| 10 reps, 2 in reserve | 57.5 kg | 73% |
| 10 reps, 3 in reserve | 55 kg | 71% |
10 rep max examples
Sets of 10 are where most muscle-building programs live. Four lifters, four ways to get the weight right.
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Example 1
A beginner's 10RM test
Six weeks in, 95 lb on the bench for 10 reps, with nothing left.
- Weight lifted
- 95 lb
- Reps completed
- 10
- Reps in reserve
- 0
- Estimated 10-rep max95 lb
- Estimated 1RM124 lb
A set of 10 to failure is a 10RM, so the calculator agrees with the bar. For training, sets of 10 at 2 in reserve are 90 lb: hard enough to grow, easy enough to keep form clean.
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Example 2
From strength block to hypertrophy
A lifter finishing a block of fives: 100 kg for 5 with 2 left, now switching to sets of 10.
- Weight lifted
- 100 kg
- Reps completed
- 5
- Reps in reserve
- 2
- Estimated 10-rep max92.5 kg
- Estimated 1RM120 kg
The 10RM estimate is 92.5 kg, and sets of 10 at 2 in reserve start at 87.5 kg. That beats guessing a round number and losing the first week to sets that were too light or too heavy.
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Example 3
Eight reps, one left
An intermediate woman who squatted 115 lb for 8 with 1 rep left.
- Weight lifted
- 115 lb
- Reps completed
- 8
- Reps in reserve
- 1
- Estimated 10-rep max110 lb
- Estimated 1RM146 lb
Her set was a 9-rep effort, so her 10RM is just under it at 110 lb. With 5 lb jumps, sets of 10 at 2 or 3 in reserve both land at 105 lb; add reps before load.
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Example 4
Sets of 12 with plenty left
A 60-year-old lifter who trains in sets of 12: 50 kg for 12 with 2 left.
- Weight lifted
- 50 kg
- Reps completed
- 12
- Reps in reserve
- 2
- Estimated 10-rep max~55 kg
- Estimated 1RM~71.5 kg
Fourteen reps to failure is past where these estimates hold up, so the 10RM is rough. Add 5 kg next session and run the calculator from that set instead.
Why a 10RM is a good training number
Muscle grows across a wide range of reps, and sets of 6 to 12 are a sensible default for most lifts, as the rep range guide explains. A 10RM sits inside that range, so it and the weights just below it set most of a hypertrophy program's loads.
Most of those sets shouldn't go to failure. The table under the result gives the weight for 10 reps with 1, 2 or 3 left, which is how programs usually write them. For other rep counts, the rep max calculator lists every rep max from 1 to 12.
Is a 10RM test a good way to estimate your max?
A 10RM test is lighter than a max attempt, about 77% of your 1RM by this formula. The trade-off is precision: in one study comparing 5-, 10- and 20-rep max tests, the 5RM predicted the 1RM most accurately, and the authors advised using no more than 10 reps in these equations.
So a 10RM is the right test when you want sets of 10. If you want your 1RM, a heavier set of 3 to 6 in the one-rep max calculator gets you closer.
How the 10RM is calculated
Your set becomes a 1RM with Epley's formula, the same one the RIRLift app uses, with the reps you had left added to the reps you did. The 10RM is that 1RM divided by the same factor for 10 reps; each table row adds the reps in reserve to the 10.
Loads round to 2.5 kg or 5 lb, which is why two rows can show the same weight. Inputs past about 10 reps to failure are flagged as rough.
1RM = weight × (1 + (reps + RIR − 1) ÷ 30)
10RM = 1RM ÷ (1 + (10 − 1) ÷ 30)
60 × (1 + (8 + 2 − 1) ÷ 30) = 78 kg
10RM = 78 ÷ (1 + 9 ÷ 30) = 60 kgMake it fit you
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Use a set of 6 to 10
A set close to 10 reps predicts a 10RM best. A heavy triple works, but the further the input is from 10, the more the answer relies on the formula.
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Train at 1 to 3 in reserve
Most working sets do their job stopped 1 to 3 reps short, without the fatigue of grinding every set. Should you train to failure? goes into the trade-offs.
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Add reps before load
When sets of 10 get easy, add a rep or two before the weight goes up, then drop back to 10 with the heavier load. The double progression method explains it.
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Round to your equipment
Loads round to 2.5 kg or 5 lb. For dumbbells and machines, use the nearest weight you have, and lean lighter when the jump is big.
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One lift at a time
A 10RM on the leg press says nothing about your squat. Run each lift from its own set.
Questions
What is a 10 rep max?
The heaviest weight you can lift for ten clean reps, with nothing left. By the formula used here it's about 77% of your 1RM.
What weight should I use for sets of 10?
Usually a little under your 10RM, with 1 to 3 reps left. The table under the result gives those weights from your set.
Is a 10RM test safer than a 1RM test?
It uses a lighter weight, about 77% of your max. It's a reasonable test for beginners, as long as every rep is clean.
How accurate is a 1RM estimated from 10 reps?
Less accurate than one from a set of 5. In a study comparing 5-, 10- and 20-rep max tests, the 5RM predicted the 1RM best, so use a heavier set when the 1RM is what you need.
What's the difference between a 10RM and RPE or RIR?
A 10RM is a set of 10 with nothing left: RIR 0, RPE 10. A set of 10 at RIR 2 is RPE 8. The RPE calculator converts between them.
Related calculators and templates
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Rep max calculator
Every rep max from 1 to 12 from the same set.
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One-rep max calculator
Your 1RM and 5RM, with the RIR chart.
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Sets and reps chart
Choose the rep range for your goal.
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How much weight should I lift?
A starting weight when you have no set to go on.
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Best rep range for muscle growth
Why sets of around 10 work for size.
Sources
Never guess the weight for sets of 10 again
Log load, reps and RIR on every set and RIRLift raises the weight when your sets reach the top of the rep range, using double progression on what you actually lifted.
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